


The Lost

by Kittypride13 (orphan_account)



Series: Legendary [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allurance?, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Allura (Voltron), BAMF Keith (Voltron), BAMF Pidge | Katie Holt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Hunk & Keith (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Multi, Mute Keith (Voltron), Protective lions, Revenge, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Torture, broganes, hunk is the best, i can be sadistic to my characters, lost paladins, platonic klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-06-29 21:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15737484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Kittypride13
Summary: What If Shiro hadn't been the only one to disappear? Desperate to save their paladins the lions transport each across the galaxy and away from the horror of Haggars quintessence. Unfortunately, no one escapes unscathed and it's going to take a lot more than magic to save these legendary defenders.basically me wasting time because I can't handle all the voltron feels. :)





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Zarkon is dead and the paladins are missing. What is a princess to do?

"Voltron! Paladins! Paladins come in! What is your status? Coran! Coran, what's going on?" The princess' voice became frantic as the line continued to read with nothing but static.   
A harsh voice spoke at her side. "Princess Allura. We have to go. Haggar will be back."  
Allura felt rage build up in her as she turned back towards the blade beside her. Koilvan gazed back impassively from behind his mask. She was just opening her mouth to express just what she thought of his ordering her around when there was a burst of static from her helmet and a familiar voice spoke in her ear.   
"-incess!-the paladins--castle.- the lions- in hangar- return- damaged.-"  
"Coran! Coran! Quiznack! We have to get back to the castle!"   
"...Indeed. We must hurry. Will your jetpack still work?"  
"Yes. Come on." she growled as they made their way across open space. Haggar's ship had departed almost as soon as the emperor had fallen. She and the blade commander had just barely managed to escape the ship before it vanished. Allura used the debris to propel her along. Finally reaching the castle after what seemed to her an age. The lions were nowhere in sight and Allura had to assume that despite the ominous feeling in her stomach they were inside the castle already. She ran through the eerily silent halls towards the bridge. Coran was waiting for her. He looked visibly relived when she appeared.  
"Coran! What's going on? Where are the Paladins?"  
The older altean shook his head. "The lions are in their hangers but they won't answer their comms. The lions won't open for me either. I don't know what's happened to them but the lions wouldn't hold onto them if they were in any danger."  
Allura nodded decisively. "Then we should wormhole out of here first. I don't want to be here when Haggar returns."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Shiro opened his eyes to darkness and an endless expanse of stars. Wherever he was it certainly wasn't the black lion. Of that much he was sure. He turned to get a better look at his surroundings and his eyes widened as he saw his predicament. In the distance a green planet promised rest and a possible way back to his friends and family. Between him and it lay an asteriod feild of potential danger. Shiro frowned, his team was nowhere in sight. I hope they're safe he thought as he powered up his jetpack and began his jorney cautiously towards the green planet.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Back in empty space Allura finally gave herself a moment to relax. A moment of quiet victory. Zarkon was dead! The war was far from over, but they had struck a devestating blow for the rebellion. Worry returned as she remembered her paladin' unrespponsive comms. She sighed and opened her eyes. Coran was looking at her worriedly. "I'm fine. Just tired. Now, lets go speak with the lions." he nodded and the two of them made thier way quickly down to the hangars.   
The blue lion sat cold and empty in it's hangar. Eyes lifeless though just a flicker seemed to run across them as they entered. Allura walked up to the lion, resting a gentle hand on it's foreleg. "Please. I only want to help. I have to know if they're alright." It remained still for a long moment and then, just when she was about to turn away. yellow light shone in it's eyes and it lowered it's jaw hatch to allow her inside.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lance was pretty sure he was dreaming. Not that he really wanted to wake up anytime soon.   
"Are you enjoying yourself paladin?" The blue skinned girl next to him asked. Her amber eyes shone in the dark waters. Honestly, this was what being a hero was all about. cute girls, feasts in your honor and finally, someone who could see jus how awesome Lance coud be.   
He took a drink from his goblet. "Definately."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Allura was in shock. After blue, she'd checked every lion. Each one opened to reveal the same thing, an empty cockpit.   
The paladins were gone.  
And she had no idea where to even start looking.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hunk couldn't believe his luck. Of all th places to end up, he'd woken on a Balmera. Shay asleep on the floor next to his cot. She'd explained how he'd just appeared suddenly in the tunnel in a glowing golden light. Now, they were working to contact the castle of lions. Hunk smiled to himself as he setup the transponder. He was lucky he ended up in such a safe place, now he just had to make sure his friends were alright too.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Pidge was annoyed. She was stuck, alone, in the middle of a forest with no clear signal from her helmet, cut off from her team. She had no idea if they were even alive. She cursed her own brain and valiantly shoved those thoughts aside. No, they were alive and she was going to find a way to hack these plants into doing exactly what she needed to get back to them.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The castle ship was in a panic. Coran seemed just as shocked as Allura and Slav hadn't shut up about the improbability of such an event since he'd found out. Allura was somewhat numb to it all. She knew that she needed to find them but she couldn't figure out how. What had even happened? Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into her royal advisor's dark eyes. "We should start by seeing if we can pick up a signal from any of them. Hunk and Pidge will undoubtably be tring to call us wherever they are." heh said brightly.  
Allura nodded. "Yes. Let's find our paladin's."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Keith was unlucky. Either that or the universe hated him because when he opened his eyes he knew exactly were he was. Everything was galra purple.


	2. Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk's the first one to be found but not the first one in need of help. Can they find Keith before it's too late? Or will the yellow paladin be morning another friend?

When the castle ship appeared in the Balmera's atmosphere Hunk felt instant relief.

When the princess exited the ship alone. He felt worry.

When she told him about his friends he felt dread.

And now, Now Hunk was literally sick with terror because he'd finally found one of his friends, and he wasn't even sure if Keith would survive.

but let's back up...

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hunk would be the first to admit that he did not belong out in space. He'd joined the galaxy garrision to build spaceships. Not to fly them. Half the time he wasn't even sure how he ended up piloting one of the lions of voltron but, if there was one thing Hunk could do, it was fix things.

Well, fix things and cook. so, two things really.

But that was beside the point. Because the important thing right now was how he could fix things. As soon as he was on the castle Coran explained his plan. With Hunk's help they could get the lions online much faster. From there they would use the Lion's connection to their paladin's to find the others. It was a good plan. But it still made Hunk nervous to have so much riding on his shoulders.

He'd decided to start with Green.

He figured that of all the paladin's, Pidge would be able to help the most with finding the other paladins once they found her.

Knowing that didn't make him feel less guilty for not helping one of the others first.

 _It could not be helped my paladin,_ Yellow said calmingly _, we will save all of them._

Hunk sighed. Yellow had woken up as soon as he was in range of the castle. It was her influence that was keeping him from a panic attack just thinking about all the things his friends could be going through.

_I know, I just wish I could be working to save all of them. I mean, what if I choose the wrong lion and we're too late to save Lance or something?_

_Focus on the now my paladin. We will save your friends._

Hunk sighed, it had been three days already. Lot's of things could go bad in three days. You could die of dehydration in three days!

He shook his head, that kind of thinking would get him nowhere, he needed to focus on helping his friends now. He could panic later.

**Two Days Later...**

Allura was trying to track the green Lion's signal and Hunk was working on blue when he heard it.

_My Paladin!_

_Yellow?_

_The Red Lion says that her cub is close._

_Keith? He's nearby!?_

_Yes. Red is very worried for him. You must hurry!_

It took him all of three minutes to make it to the bridge. A record which at any other time he would have been extremely proud of but his mind was currently overrun with thoughts of all the horrible things that could be happening to Keith to make the red lion worry. He wasn't dead. But there were a lot of things you could do to someone that were equally awful without killing them.  Sometimes Hunk really disliked his brain.

Allura turned as soon as he entered, eyes wide in surprise but her voice was calm. "Hunk? What's wrong?"

"...It-It's Keith. Red says he's close." He replied as he caught his breath.

"Keith?!"

Hunk nodded seriously."Yeah. Apparently Red's really worried about him too. What's around here?"

"Coran?"

The older man nodded. "Just give me a moment to pull up a scan. Ah! There we go." A holographic blue replica of the system sprung to life. The three looked it over.

"Most of these planets are uninhabitable," Coran said after a moment, "But there is a possibility he ended up somewhere here but the red lion should have detected him once we entered the solar system."

 "What's that?" Hunk asked suddenly, pointing to a red dot on the screen that was slowly moving along the outer edge of the system.

Coran's face darkened and he returned to his console. A moment later he looked up. "Pirates."

They'd first tried to hail the ship but upon seeing them the pirates had almost immediately begun firing. Shortly after, despite her damage Red escaped her hanger to help bring down some of the smaller fighters. After that figured it was a pretty safe bet that if Keith was on that ship, he wasn't there because he wanted to be. The thought made Hunk sick. Allura had come up with a ramshackle plan pretty quickly after that.

Coran would be left in charge of the castle defenses while Hunk and Allura would take the yellow lion and board the ship. Once they found Keith, they'd return to the castle. Allura would get him to the med bay immediately and Hunk would take Yellow and help finish off the pirates.

The trip was short and silent. Neither occupant wanted to voice the concerns churning in their mind but both knew, if Red was worried enough to insist on a pod...whatever these pirates had done to Keith was going to be awful.

Yellow soared into the ship's hanger. It was a repurposed galra cruiser. The purple lights seemed to mock them as they ran.

Allura was deadly with her staff. She cut a path through the pirates while Hunk covered them both. Hunk was terrified, but the need to save his friend was stronger. He hadn't known Keith for very long, and sure he wasn't the easiest guy to get along with but he cared about them and Hunk was sure, the boy would have taken a bullet for him. He was kind of like Lance in that way. Both self-sacrificing idiots, but it was Hunk's turn to save them now.

They'd reached the brig. It was surprisingly undermanned. Especially for a place that held their firey red paladin. They even found his Bayard and Armor without much resistance. If it had been anyone but hunk they might have had some choice remarks about the pirates capabilities but the reason for such lax security would soon become gruesomely apparent.

They found him not far in, hanging from the back wall of a cell. Only partially conscious and covered in blood and grit. He was shirtless, his black under suit having been torn, giving them a clear view of the way he was marked with purple-green bruises and obviously infected cuts. The most worrying thing in Hunks mind though, was the glassy look to his friend's eyes and the copious amounts of blood on his chin and around his mouth that spoke of internal bleeding.

He exchanged a hard look with Allura and together they took him down from the wall. he hardly seemed to resister the pair of them and made no noise as they made their way back through the ship to Yellow. Hunk had never felt more satisfaction in destroying a ship than he did that day.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now he was here. Sitting outside the Med Bay. waiting for Coran and Allura to come out and tell him if Keith was going to be ok. He'd already thrown up in the bathroom on the way over. Sick with worry and sick  with the realization that not all the red on his armor had come from his injured friend. War wasn't black and white, there were gray area within the gray but hunk couldn't help but wish that it could all be resolved in a way that left no one hurt.

The door to his left hissed open and Hunk scrambled to his feet as Coran stepped out.

"How is he? Is he going to be ok?"

The older man sighed and Hunk was stuck by just how tired he looked without his trademark smile. "He'll live..."

A sense of dread settled in Hunk's stomach. "..But?"

Coran shook his head. "Perhaps you'd better sit down."


	3. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red paladin wakes up a prisoner but while it's the galra who have taken him, they're not looking for information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is part of the reason for the major depictions of violence tag. You can skip to the time/space/perspective jump line at the bottom and still understand most of it if you've read hunk's portion.

Keith was beginning to hate the color purple.  
Ignoring the war with an evil alien emperor who lorded over his pack of purple people and his clear obsession with the color. Being left alone in this cell, purple walls and floors, purple lights was really putting him off the color. Red was a significantly better color.  
Not for the first time, Keith tried to pull his hands from where they were bound. The cold metal of the manacles scraped uncomfortably at his skin but at this point it wasn't much more than a minor irritation. Though his legs were beginning to hurt some at being forced to stand in one place for so long and his stomach was starting to feel raw with hunger. He'd already tried calling for his teammates. No one had answered, not even a guard. It meant one of three things; one, his teammates had not been captured with him. Two, they had been but for whatever reason, they couldn't answer, or three, they were dead. Personally, Keith was hoping for the first because as long as they were safe, he could withstand anything.  
Some time later Keith was brought out of a melancholy doze by the sound of the door opening. He looked up and found himself unsurprisingly faced with a galra. He had the purple skin and strange yellow eyes but he wasn't dressed like any soldier Keith had seen before. His attire reminded him more of, well, a space pirate. The galra sneered as he observed Keith, revealing strangely needle-like teeth. Keith glared back defiantly.  
"So," The Galra growled, "You are the Red Paladin of Voltron I hear."

Keith scowled. There was no point in denying it, he was wearing the armor after all. "What's it to you?"

"Well. There's quite a bounty in the empire for the successful capture of one of the paladins." The galra offered conversationally. Keith relaxed somewhat at the words 'one of the paladins', hopefully that meant that the others had escaped.

A second alien appeared, dressed similarly to the first but this one was clearly not galran. "But I don't think we'll be taking you to the empire just yet." The second alien's voice had a quality to it that made Keith want to punch him. However, since his hands were still bound, he settled for a chilling glare before he spoke again.

"Oh? going to try and bargain me off to Voltron?"

The little alien smiled then, and Keith felt a shiver go down his spine. "Oh no. You see, the red paladin is responsible for the death of my friend's brother. We were rather hoping you'd stay for a bit and help him, move on..."

Keith's gaze returned the the galra, he was suddenly struck by a feeling of impending dread. It's a very different feeling to realize that no matter what you say you're going to get hurt than knowing that you're protecting someone through the pain. A part of Keith recoiled at the hatred in the galran's eyes while another, perhaps stupider, portion of him screamed for Keith to retaliate. Show this thug that he was not afraid. So, he did the first thing that came to mind and kicked the galra where it hurts.

He didn't regret his decision.

The result was almost instantaneous. The galra stumbled back a few feet and his friend cried out in alarm. "Lazrek!" The galra, Lazrek, took a moment to recover and when he looked back at Keith his face was livid. Cold rage burned behind those strange yellow eyes and he strode towards Keith once more. This time, he took a stand next to the paladin. carefully out of range of the boy's feet. Keith gazed smugly back.

Suddenly Lazrek grinned, voice cold as he brought out a long metal rod. It reminded Keith uncomfortably of a baseball bat. "You're quite the spirited one aren't you. It will be entertaining to watch you break."

Keith glared defiantly back. "Try me."

Lazrek swung low and there was a crack as the bat made contact. Keith grit his teeth at the pain. Broken kneecap, he guessed. It would hurt but it was fixable...provided he got to a healing pod in the not too distant future. Which he realized, might be a problem, he didn't even know if his team could come and get him, if they knew where he was. If they did know, they'd come for him...right? He glared at Lazrek again but the Galran only grinned back.

"Are you going to kick me again?"

"Come into range and we'll see."

"I don't think so."

"What? Scared?"

Lazrek scowled and his little green friend spoke." There is a difference between cowardice and stupidity. I look forward to discovering where you become a coward." There was a dangerous tone to his voice. "Come my friend. I think we should let this one be for a while."

Lazrek narrowed his eyes at his friend but stepped away from Keith. Keith wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but he watched in silence as they left. And he was alone.

Again.

 

Time passed. The leg was becoming an increasing problem. He could hardly put any weight on it before shooting pain ran up his side. His wrists were beginning to burn from the cuffs and the knowing in his stomach had become more pronounced. So to, had the burning dryness in his throat. A gentle headache had begun behind his eyes and still no one came.

 

The second time the pair arrived they seemed more prepared. They were accompanied by a pair of brutish pirates, one of whom looked to possibly be Balmeran. The brutes came to either side of Keith and unhooked him from the wall before shoving him down on his knees. An action which made his leg burn, causing Keith to grit his teeth against the pain. He was feeling lightheaded and distinctly dizzy. The green alien came forward. "How are we feeling paladin?"

Keith glared. "Fuck you."

The alien seemed confused at the word but the idea got across clear enough. Lazrek stepped forward, bat once again in his hands, and swung. Keith lurched as the bat sunk into his stomach. The instinctual need to curl around the injury causing him more pain as his leg dragged across the floor. A clawed hand gripped his hair and yanked his head back. The green alien smiled. "My friend here has been having a rather awful day. I'd be extremely grateful if you could help cheer him up."

"Go to-"he cut off with a gasp as the bat sunk into his side. This time. Lazrek didn't stop there. The bat came around again and Keith coughed blood. By the cracking sound, he was pretty sure at least some of his ribs were broken. Lazrek seemed to consider him for a moment and Keith took that as the opportunity he'd been waiting for. he'd been gradually working his good leg under himself and when Lazrek paused he surged up, slamming the surprised pirate in the face. The sudden movement and the forceful collision made him dizzy but he fought through it as he yanked his hands from the brute's grip. he stumbled forward some before a weight and burning pain had him slamming back down to the floor. There was a crack as his nose broke and blood gushed down his face. After a moment he was yanked back to his knees, head pulled up to face Lazrek and the green alien again. He was getting tired of this. There was no point, and why was that sadistic bastard still smiling? Keith fought through the haze of fog that had taken up residence in his skull and glared at them both. "What the hell do you want from me!?"

The green one took a step forward and reaching behind him took hold of the knife in Keith's side. "What do we want?" he asked mockingly. "We want to see you suffer." Then he twisted it. Keith ground his teeth together. No. he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Another twist and despite himself Keith let out a low moan. Lazrek and the alien shared a look. "So," Another twist, the fog in his head was growing thicker, "you won't scream?" The alien chuckled, "Then I suppose you don't need to speak at all." For a moment Keith wasn't sure what he was talking about but then there were rough hands on his face. They pulled his mouth open while he fought. Panic finally taking over as he realized what they were trying to do. The Alien reached over and pulled his tounge out with one clawed hand, then, in one fluid motion, he removed the knife from Keith's back and severed the delicate pink flesh as far down as he could reach.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

There was a hiss and tingling cold and Keith was falling. Strong arms reached out to catch him. For a moment he was disoriented and the arms felt so terribly familiar but no, this touch was kind and someone was saying something. "Keith. Keith! Uh...please don't freak out on me..." The voice was familiar and he stopped fighting the warm embrace. Hunk. It was Hunk. Of course it was. His vision cleared and he looked up into the yellow paladin's friendly face. The other smiled widely. "Hey! Yeah. I've got you man. It's cool, you're safe." Keith sighed and took a step back from his teammate. He looked around the room, Allura and Coran waved back, he was tired but he wanted to know where the others were. He opened his mouth to ask but no sound came out. Allura looked stricken and Coran took a hesitant step forward. For a moment, he didn't understand. His hands pawed at the soft tissue of his mouth. Then it all came back in a rush. All of a sudden his legs couldn't support him anymore, he slumped to the floor, staring dumbly at his hands as if they held the answers to questions he could no longer ask. He felt Hunk's hand on his shoulder and looked up. The larger boy looked down at him with sympathy and sadness. "You should get some rest. " And Keith couldn't find the energy to fight so he let Hunk lead him dumbly from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Keith. He's honestly my favorite character and I have no excuse to be this mean to him. I love the idea of Hunk and Keith being bros though so expect a lot more from them. :)


	4. Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takashi Shirogane; Garrison golden boy, Black paladin of Voltron, Champion of Zarkon's arena is wounded and lost on an unknown planet. It's a good thing that he may not be as alone as it seems.

Great.

Here he was. Takashi Shirogane. Survivor of The Area, Haggar's experiments, one little shit of a brother and about a hundred paladin missions so far and he was gonna die on some unknown backwater planet because he hadn't paid attention in the wilderness survival course back at the garrison.

What he wouldn't give for a granola bar right now. Heck, He'd even take Coran's food goo. Shiro sighed and rubbed his aching shoulder. Somehow he'd managed to dislocate it in his tumble down to the planet. It was a good thing that his galra tech arm hadn't been damaged, he still didn't have any practice using the black bayard, seeing as how he'd just gotten it, and it probably wasn't safe to be wandering some strange forest planet with no reliable weaponry. Even if he hadn't run into anything living so far.

He sighed.

What he wouldn't give for one of the other paladins to be here with him. Not that he wanted them separated from the team as well, just, the silence was starting to drive him nuts. Keith would probably enjoy it out here, he thought absently, and he'd probably be able to figure out what was edible. Probably wouldn't spend much time talking though not like Lance. Lance, ha. Lance would be good company, and great back up but I'm pretty sure we'd both die of starvation or some weird alien berries. Shiro considered a bush of bright orange fruit. Didn't bright colors mean poison? Or was that just for animals? And did earth rules even count on alien planets? Better pass. I bet hunk would know. Yeah, he thought smiling again, Hunk would totally be able to figure out what could be eaten. And Katie, she'd have bio-hacked the trees by now. Probably already sending a signal back to the castle for them to pick her up.

He really needed to eat something.

Shiro considered a patch of blue-black berries. They sort of reminded him of black berries but spherical and softer. Eh, it beat starving to death. Though, his team was probably going to come for him soon. So, maybe, he'd just pick a few and carry the with him and if he didn't find anything definitely edible or civilization-like by the end of the day then he'd try them. Yeah, that seems like a solid plan, he thought absently as he picked a handful of the dark fruit. He continued walking along the river. It seemed logical that any civilization would be somewhere along the water. Unless this species doesn't need water to live, he considered thoughtfully, I could just walk forever and never meet anything because water doesn't really mean anything to them. Ok, no, Shiro shook his head, pessimism wasn't going to get him anywhere.

His stomach rumbled.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was official. He was going crazy.

He could hear singing. Not even really good singing either. Sort of mediocre really, definitely not the ethereal chant of a mysterious being. He was mildly annoyed about that. If he had to listen to hallucinatory music couldn't it be like, ACDC or something? He sighed again and tried to ignore the song. he sort of wondered if it had anything to do with the berries.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The song was louder now. He could almost hear words. The singer sounded better now that he could actually hear her. And it was a her, the voice was distinctly feminine. Shiro was beginning to think that he might not be imagining it. He kept walking. The voice was vaguely familiar.

"Heeeey sister,

know the water's sweet

but blood is thickerrr.

Ohhh!

If the sky were fallin'

downnnn

for yooou

there's nothin' in this word I wouldn't do."

Shiro broke into a run. There was no mistaking that voice. "Pidge!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Pidge is singing is "Hey Brother" by Avicii. I just really like the song and it totally speaks to her character.


	5. Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's got a lot of adjusting to do before he can feel anywhere near normal again and they're still missing three of their paladin's. Surprisingly for Keith, the family that he's got may be just what he needs.

The first few days were the worst.

They tried to help. Tried to make him feel like there really wasn't much difference but the problem was, it was a huge difference. Sure, Keith had never been the most vocal of the paladins but there was a distinct difference between choosing to remain quiet and being forced to. At first, he just tried to work out his frustrations on the training bots but it didn't do a whole lot to help. It made it worse really, because it felt like he was just running away and Keith...he was so tired of running. It got so bad that one day, it all just boiled over and Keith just screamed. It was all he had left to do.

It was Coran who came up with the idea. He walked into the kitchen the day after Keith's...rage looking like he'd personally put Lotor in his place. They'd been in the middle of a tense and rather quiet meal so, his flamboyant entrance was something of a surprise. They looked up to where he stood brandishing a book that looked to be in entirely Altean.

"Um...Coran? What's that?" Hunk asked in confusion.

Coran Beamed."Why the solution to Number Four's little problem my boy."

Allura visibly brightened as she realized what it was. "Oh Coran! That's brilliant!"

Keith was looking between them in confusion. _What?_ He mouthed as clearly as possible. Hunk shrugged. "Coran, we're not that familiar with Altean yet. We have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course. How silly of me," Allura said apologetically she was still grinning," it's a book on Altean sign language!"

There was a long pause in which they all just stared at each other for a moment and then Hunk broke into a huge grin. "Well then, We better start learning then shouldn't we."

"Absolutely," Allura nodded, "This will be a wonderful bonding exercise!"

If any of them noticed the way the Red Paladin's eyes teared up as he watched them, no one said a thing.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hunk was working on blue again when Keith approached. He was quiet enough that Hunk didn't notice him until there was a light tap on his shoulder. Hunk jumped, whacking his head painfully against the hull of the ship.

_I'm sorry._ Keith signed apologeticly.

"Nah man. It's ok," Hunk replied with a laugh, "you just walk like a ninja cat now. I never hear you coming. So what's up?

_The red paladin wishes to help._ Yellow said abruptly.

Hunk blinked. "Uh...is Yellow forwarding your messages now?"

Keith tilted his hand in a _So-So_ manner before signing, _It'll help. For battle._

Even with the addition of a sign language learning program Pidge had downloaded for some reason there were still communication problems because of the limited nature of sign. It just entirely missed some words and complex ideas could get lost in translation. So, basically like any other language. "Nope. Still lost. Sorry dude. Can you explain it differently?"

Keith frowned for a moment then, _No sign on the Comms. I can talk to Red though. So, she can talk to you._ He gave Hunk a hopeful expression and after a moment it dawned on him.

"Oh! I get it. That's brilliant Keith! I didn't even think of that!"

Keith smiled then and they shared a happy silence for a moment before Keith gestured to the blue lion. A questioning look on his face. It took Hunk a moment to understand but then he smiled even wider. "Yeah, I'd love some help. Actually if you could come hold this in place for me..."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late and Allura was nowhere near tired. It had been almost a pheob since the paladin's had disappeared. Thankfully there had been no threats requiring Voltron just yet and Koilvan had been working the blades hard to keep things that way while she searched for the other paladins. A fact for which she was eternally grateful. They were still missing three paladins and while Keith seemed to have found a solution to the comms she still wasn't convinced that his mental state was safe enough to pilot yet.

She couldn't imagine losing something as important as her voice.

The sound of metal clashing drew her attention to the training room. Who would be training at this hour, she wondered curiously. She opened the door and peaked in. I should have known, she thought ruefully as she saw who it was. Keith, dressed in sweats and a black tank top, hair pulled up in a short ponytail and dual wielding his Marmora blade and his bayard. She'd never seen him dual wielding before. Her curiosity overcame any thoughts of sleep and she leaned slightly against the wall to watch.

It was impressive. He had always seemed like a natural soldier but watching him train Allura was surprised to discover just how beautiful this deadly art of his was. He moved with a fluid grace, each step like a dance, the blades in perfect tandem as he attacked. Suddenly she was reminded of someone else who had moved with such grace. She could still see her mentor's smile as she congradulated Allura.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_"Well done princess. Keep improving like this and you may even surpass your father one day."_

_"My father? Do you really think so?"_

_Lanari laughed. "If you keep training Princess. Maybe one day you'll even surpass me."_

_"You? That's impossible. No one's better than you, even Father and he's a king."_

_"Skill isn't everything princess. It matters more what you have in your heart."_

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A gentle tap on her shoulder drew Allura back to the present. She looked over to see Keith watching her with careful curiosity.

_Did you want to train?_

"Oh. No, I was just having some trouble sleeping and I thought I'd go for a walk."

He considered her for a moment and then glanced away as he signed, _We will find them Allura._

"...I...It's just, It's been so long." She sighed.

Keith seemed slightly uncomfortable, standing here, talking to her but he signed back all the same. Eyes glued onto hers to convey an intensity his hands alone could not. _We will find them._

Allura considered him as well. The three of them had gotten much closer over the past few weeks but she still forgot sometimes how uncomfortable he was with most social situations. She smiled then, he was trying so hard. And maybe, his voice hadn't been quite so lost after all. "Well, I suppose that if I'm going to be awake I might as well do something productive. I'm heading to the bridge, maybe Pidge will have sent us a signal. Do you wish to come along?"

_Sure._

She grinned again and they walked in companionable silence.

 

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Keith woke to the sound of one of the castle alarms going off. He jolted awake and looked around. He must have fallen asleep on the bridge. He spotted the princess asleep on another chair and smiled to himself. He hoped that she was feeling better. He might suck at comforting people and he might be somewhat antisocial but he was trying and that, he thought, should count for something. After all, before Voltron, he could count on one hand the number of people he'd ever tried for. Part of him wanted to let her sleep, the mice had said she hadn't been sleeping well since they'd disappeared but that alarm could be important and he had no way of calling Coran down so, he would have to wake her.

Almost the instant he got up to shake the princess awake the door hissed open and Coran appeared. He ran directly for the console and let out a shout of pure glee. Allura jolted awake. "Coran?! What is it?"

"It's Number 5!"

_Pidge?_

"This is wonderful news!"Allura exclaimed. "Coran. What's our heading? We should wormhole over there immediately!"

_I'll go get Hunk._

"Excellent idea number 4."

Keith left the room as Coran began explain to Allura exactly where she needed to go. Hunk was just as sleepy as he'd expected but the big guy broke into a huge smile when Keith told him the news. _We've found Pidge._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be pretty angsty when I started it but wow, it just turned into a giant pile of fluff. Guess that's what you get when you have Hunk. :)


	6. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is bio-hacking trees again and it looks like she may have found the black paladin as well but when the group receives a distress call from the ever-loveable blue paladin will they be able to save them both?

If she was honest with herself, the loneliness was starting to get to her.

It had been about a week and she hadn't run into anything but plants. She really wasn't trying anymore. Pidge had set up camp next to a fast flowing river, near a patch of fruits that a quick scan with her helmet assured were perfectly safe to eat. So, she wouldn't be going hungry anytime soon but that didn't really help with the near deafening quiet all around her.

Two days in, she'd resorted to humming to herself just to fill the quiet.

Now she was just belting out whatever stupid song came to mind as she worked. She was in the middle of one of Matt's personal favorites when something burst from the bushes behind her. She whipped around, bayard already activating and zapped whatever it was before it could get any closer. It took her a moment to recognize them but a laugh burst from her lips once she did. "Oh my gosh, Shiro! ahahaha. I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

Shiro picked himself off the ground with a groan. "I'm fine. Agh. That thing packs quite a punch."

She preened. "Small and deadly, just like me."

"So, do you know where we are?" Shiro asked after a moment.

"Not a clue."

"Hummm."

"But I'm trying to figure out how to send a message to the castle." She added helpfully.

"Any luck so far?"

"Not really. I wish I had one of those Olkari circlet things right now," A thought occurred to her, "Hey, do you think Allura would be ok with it if I added one of those to my helmet?"

He smiled. "I'm not sure, but it's worth asking about."

"Cool. But first off, I need to figure out how to hack this stupid tree."

"Can I help?"

Pidge glanced back at him. Shiro? Help her hack a tree?...Somehow I was a rather worrying prospect. Matt had told her horror stories about his programming attempts. No. He wasn't getting anywhere near her tech. Not on his life.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro was sleeping when he heard her victorious cry.

He woke with a jolt and was momentarily confused at the sight of the green paladin crouched over a data pad she'd somehow jacked into a tree. Wasn't she suppsed to be sleeping? Then he remembered just what they'd been trying to do and the idea of success overcame his desire for rest. "Pidge? Did it work?"

She looked over at him with a cocky smirk. "Heck yeah it did. Now we just have to wait for the castle to pick up the signal."

"Nice work. You really are a genius."

"You bet."

"And now you should get some sleep."

"What? no. I'm fine Shiro."

"Pidge..." He sighed, she really needed a proper sleep. It wasn't going to help either of them to be exhausted when the castle arrived.

"Fiiiiiinnnneeee."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_My Paladin!_

Pidge looked up from the flowers she'd been tying together in her boredom. _Green! Where are you?_

_Black and I will come to find you. The Blue Paladin needs your help._

"Lance?!"

Shiro perked up at the name."What about Lance?"

"Green's coming to get us. She says that Lance needs our help."

"Oh no. What's going on?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask YOUR lion."

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head at her irritation but seemed to take her suggestion. _Alright Green. Let's go save our idiot._

_\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Lance was apparently being held in captive by a group of aliens known as the Miduri. They were a peculiar race of water dwelling aliens who liked to collect 'beautiful things' from across the universe. Apparently they thought Lance was beautiful enough for their collection.

As soon as she was in her lion, Pidge contacted the castle. "Allura! Where exactly are we headed? And who do we have?"

"I've sent you the corodinates number 5." Coran replied easily.

"Hunk and Keith will meet you on the planet's surface. We've attempted to contact them for a peaceful resolution but they refuse to give him up. You're going to need to break him out."

Shiro's voice broke over the comms. "Alright then. Pidge, you'll probably have to hack us in."

"Copy that. Let's go!"


	7. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...Oh Lance...What have you gotten yourself into now?

Lance was pretty sure he was forgetting something...

He'd been staying with the Miduri for the better part of a month now and the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something important had only grown stronger over that time. What he was forgetting eluded him though. He glanced out the window, The vibrant blue of the waves was nice. There was something about that color...blue. Something important...

"Lance? Are you alright?" A singsong voice drew his attention from his thoughts. A pretty blue skinned alien gazed back, she had bright green eyes. That struck Lance as odd but he couldn't place why.

"Oh yeah. So, what are we doing today?"

She smiled, what was her name? Did she ever have one? "Today we go for a walk. Lady Nadiri wishes you to accompany her into town."

"Oh! Of course. I'll protect her!"

"Come." The girl beckoned him forward and Lance followed without question. He was going to walk with Lady Nidiri, what a great honor. Lance loved her, but...no, she was simply amazing. Yeah, Allura was pretty fantastic. Wait...Lance paused in his walk...Allura. There was something important about All-

"Lance. We are nearly there. Lady Nadiri is anxious to see you." The alien girl cut through his thoughts.

Right, Lady Nidiri. He had to protect her! "Then what are we waiting for? A beautiful girl shouldn't be kept waiting."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"....heard Voltron has been seen nearby." A Miduri boy about Lance's age was saying to his friend.

"Ha. That's impossible. The blue paladin is still here."

"Well it's possible if they found a new one."

"Huh. That's true. I would be stupid of them not to."

Lance's steps faltered. Voltron. Blue Paladin. That, that's right. He'd been asking the Miduri for help to get back to his friends. And then, well, Lance wasn't really sure what had happened.

"Lance?" Lady Nidiri asked, pale, crystalline eyes watched him carefully.

Somehow Lance figured that they wouldn't want to know about his sudden realization."This market is pretty cool isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Lance kept smiling, now that he knew the game, he just had to keep his head long enough to get a message back to the others.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Paladin! Wake up!_

Lance shook his head. Damn it. He'd started to forget again. He really needed to keep an eye on that. _Thanks Blue. Man, this waiting if boring._

_Your friends are nearly there my paladin. We will free you._

_Of course. I am the best sniper in the galaxy after all._

_Indeed._

Lance sighed. He was just grateful that the Miduri hadn't thought to take his weapons or armor. Aparently their faith in whatever they'd been drugging him with was enough for them to deem such precautions unnecessary. Despite himself Lance found his mind wandering to the conversation of the day before. Replaceable. That's what the Miduri had called him. Perhaps not in so many words but the meaning was the same. Lance frowned, the sentiment was far too close to home for the blue paladin to feel comfortable with it. Always second best, never quite good enough to really be recognized for his skills. It was frustrating. All his life he'd had to work hard for what he got while other cadets had life handed to them on a silver platter. It wasn't fair, but then, Lance wasn't the kind of person to just give up.

The crackle of static erupted from his helmet and the blue paladin scrambled to put it on. Slipping it over his ears as Hunk greeted him. "Lance! Hey, are you there?"

"I read you loud and clear my best buddy. Where are you at?"

"We're actually just about to land. Keith and I are coming to get you out while Shiro covers us in the air."

"Where's Pidge? Is she ok?"

Another voice came over the comm. "I'm fine. I'll be leading you guys back towards each other and hacking these doors. Don't worry about me."

"Great. So, when should I get going?"

"Honestly? Right away."

"We'll meet you on the ground! See you soon." Hunk added before cutting off.

Lance moved towards the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. Either Pidge had already started hacking or these aliens had  lot of faith in their charm magic whatever. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth though. The hallway outside the room was quiet and Lance could see a pair of guards just down the hall from where he was standing. They didn't seemed to be paying him much attention and the second hardly had the time to look surprised before Lance took the pair down with two well placed shots. His rifle was set to stun but that didn't mean they were going to get up anytime soon. With the way things were going he might just make it out without even alerting the guards.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burning pain burst in his leg.

It took Lance a moment to realize that he'd just been shot. "Quiznak!" He yelled and a short epith that would have had Shiro washing his mouth out with soap if he wasn't so worried. Ahead of him Keith looked back. Scowling he ran back past the blue paladin to attack his pursuers. Hunk appeared at his side. "Keith'll hold them off for a sec. We need to go." Despite himself Lance nodded and allowed Hunk to help him hobble his way down the halls. He took a moment to fire a few shots back at the guards before focusing whole-heartedly on running. The burning pain in his leg was making it hard but Lance figured he didn't really have the luxury of getting upset about it.

Keith caught back up to them a moment later. He took one look at their awkward hobble and scooped Lance up bridal style.

"Hey!"

Keith ignored him. While Hunk called Pidge.

"Pidge! Hey yeah. We're almost at the entrance. We need some help covering while I get Lance into Yellow.

"Heh. I knew you guys would need me."

Not a minutes later the aforementioned green paladin appeared. Lance had been passed off to Hunk who made a beeline for the Yellow lion. Behind them Lance cold see Pidge and Keith holding an impressive line. They made a good team. Keith was in the thick of things, deflecting shots with his shield and cutting down soldiers like he was born for the art of war. Pidge wove in between them like a snake. Using her bayard to keep the soldier off balance and unprotected as Keith cut through them. Not a word was exchanged between the two as they freed the way for their friends to escape.

Hunk ran into the yellow lion and gently laid lance down on the floor while he let everyone know that Lance was safe. Lance steadied himself as the yellow lion took off. Soon enough he could see both Red and Green taking off as well. Lance sighed in relief and let his tired eyes droop shut.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gentle hiss of the pod opening and chocolate colored eyes greeted him when he next opened his eyes.


	8. Broken parts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladin's have finally returned to the castle but there's still a lot of adjusting they need to do.

As soon as the yellow lion landed back on the castle ship Allura was there. Hunk handed off his friend to the fleet footed princess and she ran for the Med bay. It hadn't been long since he was shot but Hunk still felt sick with worry just thinking about his injured friend. Sometimes it seemed like such a huge cosmic joke that he'd been chosen as one of Voltron's paladins.

The door hissed open behind him and the Yellow paladin turned to see who it was. The red paladin stood in the doorway looking uncomfortable. He hesitated a moment before signing, _Are you both ok?_

"Oh, yeah...Allura took Lance to a healing pod. He'll be fine." Hunk responded after a moment.

Keith tilted his head questioningly but made no comment about Hunk's avoidance of the other half of his question. Instead he just nodded and gestured that he'd be in the library. Hunk nodded back absently and the red paladin, after a moment's hesitation, left.

Hunk eventually made his way down to the Med Bay. He needed to make sure his friends were alright, even though the sight of Lance in a healing pod would probably have him cooking non-stop for the next week at least. It would be better to have a clear idea of what had happened so his mind wasn't full of endlessly worse possibilities.

Allura, Pidge and Shiro were already there by the time he arrived. Pidge had produced a deck of cards from who knows where and was trying to teach the princess how to play...well something. Hunk had never been a big cards fan and it didn't look like 'go fish'. They looked up when he entered.

"Hunk!" Pidge sounded pleased.

Shiro got up off the floor just to rest a hand on his shoulder with a smile. "You did a good job out there Hunk. Lance is going to be fine."

Hunk's shoulders slumped, some of the residual tenseness leaving them at Shiro's words. Lance was going to be fine. Hunk was going to bake him enough cookies to sink a battleship but he was going to be fine. "That-That's great Shiro. Phew, yeah. And you guys are good too?"

Pidge smirked."Ha. Like they could touch me, those soldiers made galra sentries look good." Shiro looked like he wanted to admonish her for something but he settled for shaking his head with a sigh.

"You should wait here with us. He should be out of the healing pod soon." Allura commented after a beat.

"Oh yeah, sure," A thought occurred to him, "Should I get Keith? He might want to be here when it opens...Unless you already told him , which is-"

"No Hunk," Allura was giving him a meaningful look," We haven't seen Keith since you all got back."

Suddenly, the curious tenseness in the black paladin's shoulders made sense. "Oh." Was all he could manage.

"Did he talk to you?" Shiro was looking at him and it made Hunk feel guilty. He had a pretty good idea as to why the red paladin was avoiding his friends but it didn't make the feeling better. Instead it added another layer of worry as Hunk considered his friend's mental state. He'd been getting better but there were still days when Hunk would walk past his room and hear quiet sobbing from within. It seemed cruel that of all the things he was left with the only sounds he could ever make were ones that spoke of pain.

But Shiro was waiting for an answer so Hunk nodded. "He said that he'd be in the library..."

"The Library?"

"Ah, maybe you should go get him then. I suspect he will want to be here when it opens. "Allura cut in, once again, her face said more than her words.

Hunk nodded. "Sure."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance was still unsteady from the pod so, when he found himself enveloped in his best friend's arms he was more than happy to succumb. Hunk did give the best hugs after all. A long moment passed before Lance finally righted himself and took a look around the room. Pidge standing next to Allura not too far away. Coran, idling nearby on his other side. Shiro was standing by a chair looking distinctly uncomfortable. He kept glancing worriedly between Lance and Keith. The red paladin was sitting quietly in the chair, a book in his lap and decidedly not looking at his friend. The image annoyed Lance, he was the one who'd been hurt, what did he have to do to get his hero to pay attention to just him for once?

"How are you feeling Lance?" The sound of the princess' voice drew his attention away from his irritation.

Lance grinned, "Better now that you're here." She smiled.

Hunk hugged him tighter. "Oh my gosh Lance. I'm really glad you're ok. I was so worried!"

"Ok. Ok, buddy. I'm fine see. No way is some random water-person going to knock me down." He finished off with a winning smile and his trademark finger guns.

Hunk's eyes watered. "I'm so glad you're back. I missed you!"

"Yeah, I even got nostalgic for your jokes," Pidge added as she joined the hug.

"Aww. Thanks guys. I missed you too."

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back Lance." Shiro smiled down at him and Lance couldn't help the warm feeling that burst from his chest then.

And of course Keith had to go and ruin it.

"Keith? Where are you going?" Shiro's attention was drawn away to where the red paladin had moved towards the door. He paused for a moment at the black paladin's question but continued.

Allura tried next."Keith, I think it would be helpful if you stayed. I'd like to discuss everything that's happened over this past month." This time he stopped. If the blue paladin had been watching he would have noticed how Keith's hands tightened around the book at her words. The tenseness in his stance and the way his shoulders slumped.

It was Hunk's worry that sent Lance over the edge. Shiro he understood, he'd known Keith before Voltron, they'd been friends, of course they were going to be closer. Allura was harder but liveable. She cared about her paladins and maybe she was still feeling guilty for how she'd treated him over his galra blood. But Hunk, Hunk was Lance's best friend. Not Keith's. They hadn't even really known each over before Voltron. There was no reason that Hunk should be looking at Keith like the guy could have anything wrong with him but that stupid mullet as he tried to escape to go be emo somewhere when Lance was right here, fresh out of the healing pod because he'd been kept prisoner and shot in the leg! It wasn't fair!

He called out, voice abnormally aggressive. "What's wrong mullet? Can't handle all my awesome?"

Keith didn't move.

"Lance..." Shiro.

"What? Don't you have anything to say?"

"Lance..." Allura.

"Come on, now you're giving us the silent treatment?"

"Lance." Hunk.

"Do you even know how a team works?"

There was a long silence in which the group just stared at the two. Allura, Hunk and Coran looked horrified. Pidge was watching the pair with confusion and worry while Shiro seemed to be deciding how best to preform damage control. Lance's rage was already beginning to fade, replaced by a growing sense of guilt and worry. But, his attempt to rectify the situation backfired miserably. He reached out for the red paladin on reflex. "Keith..." He began.

One word was all it took for the other boy to explode.

Almost on autopilot the red paladin reached out, whipped around and flung the first thing he had managed to grab, a chair, in the general direction of the other paladin. There was a shattering sound as it crashed against the wall and Hunk yelped in fright. When they turned back, Keith was already gone.


	9. Fixing it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team experience a shocking revelation, Coran is the best space uncle, Lance and Keith have a heart to heart and Shiro makes sure his little brother doesn't suffer alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Lance seem like something of a jerk in the last chapter and I really didn't mean to...I love Lance but I think that scene was pretty true to his character. Anyway, he'll redeem himself here.

The first person to actually move after the 'chair incident' was Coran. The older Altean headed towards the door, pausing just before he exited. "Allura, Hunk. I think it would be best if you explain the situation to the others. I'll go see if I can help," He turned his gaze on Lance, "Don't feel too badly Number Three. We're all glad to see you back on your feet." And with that he left. The remaining paladin's exchanged glances. Hunk looked distinctly uncomfortable with the whole situation and quickly cast Allura a pleading look. Lance was beginning to feel like he'd made some sort of catastrophic mistake, except, he wasn't the one who'd just decided that throwing a chair was a good idea. Still, Lance had provoked him. It was just that he'd expected Keith to just yell back, explain himself maybe. He couldn't understand the red paladin's strange silence.

"Alright. I think you should all sit down..." Allura had taken charge and despite her obvious state of discomfort she seemed sure of herself. Lance sat down, wedged between Hunk and Pidge. The former looking marginally sick and the later darkly interested.

Suddenly Shiro spoke. "Allura, what exactly is going on?" The statement seemed to express that there had been more than Keith's earlier silent rage to be worried about.

The princess paused for a long moment before responding. "As most of you know by now, you were all split up after the fight. Our best guess is that the Lions sent you away to protect you. Unfortunately, because of the sudden danger, they simply sent you wherever was easiest and furthest away. This resulted in some of you being in some pretty obscure places, and not necessarily safe ones either..."At this point she looked back at Lance pointedly.

"So where did Keith end up?" That was Pidge, voicing the worry that had undoubtedly crossed all their minds. Asking, perhaps, more calmly than anyone else would have but with no less care.

"When we found him, Keith had been captured by pirates. Pirates who had a vendetta against Voltron."

Lance felt his mouth go dry, the next question hanging in the air like a powder keg, threatening knowledge that Lance wasn't sure he even wanted. He asked anyway, his voice strangely subdued. "What did they do to him?"

Allura took a deep breath, her voice cold and clinical when she spoke again. "There is no nice way to say it, he was beaten, and cut. When we found him he was only half awake and more bruise than person." Shiro took in a sharp breath. "But that wasn't he worst of it...we only discovered the extent of the damage when we put him in a healing pod just a little while later." Lance wasn't sure he wanted to hear what came next but he didn't interrupt. He owed it to Keith to at least listen to this.

"Allura?" Shiro's voice wavered.

"They cut out his tongue."

Pidge was outraged. "What?!"

"And apparently they cleaned his mouth out with acid afterwards. His mouth and throat were irreversibly damaged." She added it all in one breath, like making it fast would make it easier. It didn't.

"I- is- Allura," Shiro's voice shook, "Can he speak at all?"

The princess numbly shook her head and Lance felt something inside him break. Even the warm hug Hunk swept them up in could do nothing to warm the guilt that chilled his soul.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keith was angry with himself. He shouldn't have lost his temper like that, but, short of screaming in Lance's face he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, and screaming hurt too much. Shiro would probably have told him to turn the other cheek. Just walk away. Shiro...How was Keith supposed to tell him? The image of his brother's horrified face came to him suddenly and Keith felt cold. He sat down heavily, his anxious pacing stopped in light of a sudden, terrible, realization. They had to be told. Of course they did. He'd been avoiding it for the past few hours as best he could. Ignoring it, refusing to acknowledge the trauma that would be the revelation. With the others, it had been different, they had known, really before he had, they had dealt with most of their trauma about it before they talked to him. Keith wasn't sure he could handle seeing the looks on their faces. He buried his face in his arms. Stars, everything felt too close to the surface. The walls he'd built suddenly unsteady.

A blanket fell around his shoulders. Soft red fabric. He looked up.

"Would you mind if I sit?" Coran asked. Keith didn't move and the Altean took a place beside him. They looked out into the darkness of space together. The observation deck awash in starlight and the shifting colors of a thousand galaxies. After a long silence Coran spoke again. "We're not upset with you, you know."

Keith looked at him questioningly. _I threw a chair._

"Yes well, that may not have been the best course of action but it was perfectly understandable given the circumstance." The older man replied pleasantly.

Keith frowned and looked away. He didn't want there to be a circumstance. He took in a sharp breath and it burned a little in his throat. Quiznack, he was so tired of this.

"Number four, no one expects you to be okay."

Despite himself Keith turned in surprise. Eyes wide and shiny. He looked young then. Young and unsure. So far from the stoic demeanor he portrayed most of the time.

"You aren't alone my boy, healing takes time," Coran smiled softly at him, "and we'll be with you the whole way."

One bright tear dripped down the red paladin's face. He seemed so lost and yet so hopeful. Finally, the dam broke and Coran held the boy as he sobbed. If the royal councillor shed a tear as well, the stars would keep their silence.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance wasn't particularly surprised that Keith came late to dinner.

The other boy walked in just behind Coran and paused at the doorway. Six sets of eyes gazed back. Suddenly Hunk stood up, breaking the tense silence. "Hey Keith. I actually made you something different." He walked over to the fridge and poked his head in. Keith followed as Coran took a bowl of Hunk's miraculous Mac N' Cheese-like creation. The other boy produced what looked like a smoothie and placed it into the red paladin's hands. "So, Uh, did you want to stay or?" Keith seemed to consider the other boy for a moment before nodding and heading over to the table. It was quiet when he sat down but Allura soon drew them back into ambient conversation. If them talking like there was nothing wrong was what it took to make Keith feel better, well, Lance would talk all day.

Dinner went surprisingly fast despite the awkwardness of the situation. Lance an the others still weren't really sure how to address the red paladin. Let alone deal with everything he and they had been through. A strange quiet developed as they finished, Lance felt the ominous weight of the impending conversation fall over them. Suddenly Keith stood and began to mutely gather up the bowls and cups. Coran stopped him. "Oh no, Number four. We had best be getting back on our regular chore rotations and that means Number Five is on dish duty today."

"What? Oh come on..." Pidge grumbled but there was no venom in her voice.

Lance laughed, "Don't complain Pidgey. Hunk and Keith have been picking up your slack for weeks now."

Hunk snorted and Keith's mouth quirked up in the beginnings of a smile. She grumbled her way to the sink, arms full of dirty dishes. Behind him Hunk responded to someone. "Oh yeah, It's no problem. I'll see if I can find a jug and make a bunch."

He turned just in time to catch Keith's quick hand movements. Hunk beamed and Lance found himself momentarily frustrated. He wanted to know what Keith had said but he had no idea how to even begin understanding the curious language that was sign. Looking at his leader's face, Shiro was similarly distraught. Suddenly an idea occurred to Lance. He smiled at his own genius. "Hey Keith, I have an idea. Come with me a sec would you?" He reached out for the red paladin's hand. There was a long moment in which they just looked at each other. It hurt to see the blatant unease that still lay within his rival's dark eyes. Then, Shiro spoke up. "Go on. You have my permission to punch him if he's a jerk." There was surprise evident in the red paladin's eyes for a moment before Keith smirked and nodded. Lance cast the black paladin an insulted look before dragging the other boy off.

They headed to Keith's room. A fact which made the paladin in question raise his eyebrows but he made no move to stop Lance before they entered. Lance was struck immediately by how bare the room was. All the others had at least something in their rooms, something to personalize the space. Make it their own, but Keith...he didn't have anything really. He shook his head, that was an issue to be addressed at a later time. He made his way to the other boy's bed where a data pad was lying and collected it with a triumphant shout. He activated the machine and turned it to an app he had discovered on one of his bored days. A stylus detached from the machine and the drawing program hummed to life. He handed both over to Keith. "It's a drawing app," He explained, "I thought that, until the rest of us learn that hand-wavy language thing you could write to us."

Keith looked at him unimpressed. It's called sign. He wrote.

Lance smiled. "Yeah, sorry. I really should have remembered that, but I'm sure with all of us working at it we'll get it. In the meantime, will this help?"

Keith frowned, looking lost. Why are you being nice to me?

Lance was confused. "Why?...Because we're friends? Teammates. I thought we really bonded over this past while!"

If possible Keith looked even more lost. You think of me as a friend?

"I...,"Lance was shaken, Keith didn't take that rivalry seriously did he? Sure, there were times when Lance was jealous of the guy. There were times when he felt overlooked with Keith in the room but, now, most of the time, he liked Keith. If nothing else, there was no one more loyal to his team than their red paladin. Looking at his friend's face though, Keith didn't know that and maybe, maybe this mess of a relationship was both of their faults. And for once Lance was going to take the first step in fixing it. "Of course we're friends Mullet. What kind of bro would I be to leave you speechless in the face of my beauty?"

Keith snorted and shook his head irritably but the smile playing at his lips betrayed him. You're an idiot.

Lance put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "You wound me!" They smiled at each other for a moment. Then Keith looked down, quickly writing on the tablet.

I'm glad you're safe Lance.

The Latino grinned impishly. "Of course you are. Come on Mullet. Let's go show everyone how amazing I am!"

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The castleship was dark. The pale luminescence of the ship's rooms turning the hallways to an monotone gray. A dark shape stalked though the darkness, purpose in his step as he headed back towards his room. Shiro was finding it hard to sleep. Not that that was particularly surprising, just frustrating. He knew that as a paladin of Voltron he needed to be healthier. As a leader he needed to be at his best, but nightmares don't care who you are or what you have to do, they come and go with chaotic inconsistency. The quiet hum of the ship comforted him in a way that he hadn't known he'd miss. The soft tap of his footsteps on the cold metal floors sounded almost like a song to his tired mind.

As he passed the other paladin's rooms he became aware of another sound. One that made him stop in his tracks and drew a worried frown from him. behind the red paladin's door he could almost hear his little brother's soft sobs. They weren't loud, hardly a sound at all, and perhaps to anyone else they'd have been unnoticeable, but Shiro was a big brother and when it came to Keith his senses were sharp. However, at the moment he was a little lost. He had a good idea what this was about but no firm thoughts on how to approach it. It was a hell of a lot more than a broken leg or even his arm in Shiro's mind because while he had a new one, Keith, well, he would likely never speak again. Then again, what kind of big brother would I be if I didn't at least try to help? He thought sadly.

The room was dark and empty. Shiro made a careful move towards the bed calling out softly as he did so. "Keith? Hey, Keith buddy. Is it okay if I come over there?" The shadowy shape that was his brother stilled and the sobbing quieted. Shiro paused and considered leaving but his big brother instinct told him to stay. He closed the door behind him and went over to crouch by the bed. Keith didn't move and for a long moment there was quiet. Then Shiro spoke. "I'm here for you Keith, you know that right?" He said gently, "I promised to never give up on you didn't I?"

The younger boy was silent for a while longer before lifting his head from his arms and looking back at Shiro. His violet eyes were wet with tears and venerable in a way that simply broke Shiro's heart, but the trust in those eyes buoyed his confidence. He moved next to him on the bed and wrapped the other boy in a hug. "We'll get through this. Just like we always do; because you know what," At this he looked down at his little brother. The one who was a secret cuddler, who was compassionate and caring even though he had a hard time showing it. The boy who had been hurt, who had lost his family and found another and wanted him to know. "We're family."

**Author's Note:**

> comments are appreciated but if you wanna hate please refrain from doing so bc im really just writing this for myself. YOU don't have to read it if you don't like it. In any case I hope you like.


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